Should Men Take Testosterone While Dieting?
New study suggests testosterone treatment can help middle aged men lose fat and keep muscle when dieting.
Are you trying to lose weight? Simply eating healthier foods—and consuming fewer calories—will help, but unfortunately this approach is likely to make you shed pounds from muscle as well as fat.
New research suggests that for middle aged obese men, testosterone treatments can help protect muscle during weight loss efforts, perhaps providing a faster and better path to looking fit, not just thin.
The research, which was presented earlier this month at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, comes from a study conducted by the University of Melbourne in Australia. The study involved a group of 100 reasonably healthy obese men between 20 and 70 years of age, all of whom had low testosterone levels.
The men followed a strict low-calorie diet for 10 weeks, followed by a maintenance diet consisting of normal healthy foods for 46 weeks. Every 10 weeks, 49 of the men received a 1,000mg intramuscular testosterone injection.
At the end of the study period, all of the men had lost about 24 pounds. However, the ratio of fat to muscle lost was different in the two groups. Those men who had taken testosterone lost about 6.6 pounds more body fat while maintaining their muscle mass, while the men who had taken a placebo lost about 7.7 pounds of muscle mass.
This result certainly does seem to support what we already know about testosterone as a vital hormone for building and maintaining lean muscle in men. However, before you decide you want to take testosterone to support weight loss, remember these important points:
Taking a Supplement Won’t Cut It: Over the counter supplements that promise to boost testosterone are not effective (or even safe in some cases). So if you consider “taking” testosterone while on a diet, remember that this really requires getting testosterone replacement therapy from a qualified physician.
You Need Personalized Doses of Testosterone: For the purposes of a study, it may make sense to provide a standardized dose of testosterone. But when it comes to your specific treatment, you actually need a personalized dose of testosterone designed to raise your body’s testosterone to a healthy level.
Treatment Must Include Monitoring: All men should be monitored by a physician during testosterone treatment. This is especially important for obese men. Testosterone can easily convert to estrogen in men with lots of belly fat. To prevent the discomfort and ill effects of excess estrogen, estrogen blockers may be required. Men also need to have their hematocrit monitored to guard against heart risks, and testosterone dosages may need to be adjusted as treatment progresses and men lose weight.
Looking for More Ways to Support Lean Muscle?
If you are worried about retaining muscle mass while on a diet but you don’t feel ready for testosterone replacement therapy, ask about our injectable nutrients. For example, MIC injections can help you burn fat fast while preserving muscle and may be helpful for men with any amount of body fat.
Contact Renew Man™ today to explore your options.
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